1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of notifying a remote user interface client (RUIC) about an event occurring in a remote user interface server (RUIS) in a home network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As various home electronic devices develop enhanced networking functions, a home network needs various types of devices. Further, users can use various services provided by devices in the home network or services provided by an external service provider of the home network. Thus, there is a need to notify all home network devices (hereinafter referred to as “devices”) about an event that occurs with respect to a single service.
Since the home network is a user's area, a user prefers to be informed of all events that occur with respect to a service used by the user within the home network, irrespective of the type of device currently being used by the user. In more detail, the user may be notified in real-time about an event that occurs with regard to another device in which the user is not interested.
An example of a home network specification adopting such a framework is the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)-2014. The CEA-2014 publishes technologies for using a service provided by another device of a home network, or a server over the Internet, through a remote user interface in a home electronic device, such as a digital TV. A more detailed description is disclosed in the CEA-2014 specification and is not repeated here.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a conventional method of notifying a remote user interface client (RUIC) about an event in a home network. The home network is a CEA-2014 based network and the method describes a method based on the CEA-2014 specification.
In operation 0, the RUIC forms a remote user interface (RUI) session with a remote user interface server (RUIS). That is, the RUIC displays a user interface (UI) page of the RUIS in the format of an extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML). A user uses a service of the RUIS through the UI page.
In operation 1, an event occurs in a service of another RUIS and the RUIC is notified about the event. The RUIS in which the event occurs is a 3rd party that does not form the RUI session with the RUIC.
In operation 2, a 3rd party event handler of the RUIC invokes an XHTML browser.
In operations 3 and 4, the XHTML browser browses an XHTML page including an event from the 3rd party through an HTTP GET instruction, and provides the content of the event to a user. For reference, a uniform resource locator (URL) of the XHTML page including the event is contained in an event notification page that the 3rd party transmits to the RUIC in operation 1.
As described above, since all home network devices in the home network adopting a 3rd party event notification framework are notified about an event, the user can be informed of the occurrence of all events through any home network device.
However, the user may not want to display an event of the RUIS on all RUICs. For example, when the user is watching TV with his or her family, the user may not want to display a short message received by his or her cellular phone (that is, a RUIS) on the TV. In addition, when a user is at his or her friend's home, the user may not want to display a short message received by the user's cellular phone on a friend's TV.